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Respiratory patients to benefit from treatment at home
 Patients receiving non-invasive ventilation (NIV) for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will now be able to receive treatment at home, thanks to a new service at the Trust.
The Domiciliary NIV Service provides patients who have severe COPD with facemask ventilators they can wear at home, meaning they will not need to come into hospital. The service, which will initially be for new patients, will also reduce the time taken to start treatment, as patients will no longer need to wait for appointments at specialist treatment centres out of area or travel further afield.
Mary Lake (pictured with the Respiratory team) was the first COPD patient to benefit from the Trust’s new service when it first launched. Mary was issued with a ventilation mask attached to a machine which she took home after being discharged from hospital. The treatment will help Mary to breathe more effectively by supporting the muscles that make her lungs work and maintaining both oxygen and carbon dioxide levels within a safe range.
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A year of top tier performance for our Stroke Unit
 The Stroke Unit at Maidstone Hospital have retained their overall A-rating in the latest Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP). This means the Unit have maintained their top tier performance for a full year, with patients receiving some of the highest quality stroke care in the country.
Dr Graeme Wallace, Consultant Physician in Stroke Medicine and Elderly Care, and Clinical Lead for Stroke Medicine at the Trust, said: “As always, this is a massive collaborative team effort. We rated higher than the national average in a number of areas, and this is testament to the team’s hard work.”
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Expanding capacity to help more patients |
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The Trust has bought Spire Tunbridge Wells Hospital, a private healthcare facility, enabling us to develop clinical services and provide additional NHS capacity across Kent and Medway.
The hospital at Fordcombe will provide MTW with additional facilities including two theatres, 28 inpatient and day care beds, diagnostics including X-ray, MRI, CT and endoscopy, and a number of consultation and treatment rooms.
The purchase means the Trust will be able to carry out more procedures for long waiting patients across the region.
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National awards for innovative hospital bed management system
 Celebrations were in order recently when the Trust’s electronic bed and capacity management system won Gold and Silver awards at the national Health Service Journal (HSJ) Partnership Awards. Used in our Care Coordination Centre, the technology provides real-time information about bed occupancy at both Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospitals. This helps reduce the amount of time a bed is empty, and ensures patients are in the right place at the right time to receive the care they need.
The HSJ received over 200 nominations for the awards, with MTW winning Gold in the 'HealthTech Partnership of the Year' category and Silver in the 'Best Acute Sector Partnership with the NHS' category, alongside healthcare tech company TeleTracking, who support the bed management system.
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Medical Director presented with prestigious fellowship |
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Dr Sara Mumford, the Trust’s Medical Director, has been presented with a Senior Fellowship by the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management (FMLM). The recognition demonstrates Dr Mumford’s commitment to medical leadership and its importance in delivering outstanding care for patients.
Fellowship of the FMLM is recognition for high performing and effective medical leaders, benchmarking them against the national Leadership and Management Standards for Medical Professionals.
Dr Mumford joins an elite group of just over 200 medical leaders who have been awarded Fellowships of FMLM at multiple levels since 2016.
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New event supports patients taking part in research
Haematology and lymphoma patients who have been taking part in research trials have benefited from a new support event to share their experiences.
Patients taking part in research at the Trust receive day-to-day support from dedicated research teams and clinical staff, but many also find it helpful to speak to other patients and develop a support network outside the hospital environment.
The oncology research patient event was the first to take place at MTW, and provided patients with advice and support while enabling them to meet other participants.
Last year over 1 million people took part in trials and studies in the UK, with today’s research helping develop tomorrow’s treatments.
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Did you know?
 Over 55,000 NHS staff work across 50 scientific specialisms and professional groups. Together, they play a huge part in delivering over a billion diagnostic investigations and treatments a year across the UK, accounting for 80% of NHS diagnostic tests.
Last month, we celebrated the incredible work of colleagues working in healthcare science at the Trust, and spoke to the teams about what they enjoy most in their roles.
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